Guitar tech and songwriter Billy Howardel met Tool vocalist Maynard James Keenan in 1992, when he was teching for Fishbone, who was opening up for Tool at the time. The two hit it off, and they ended up jamming together. Howardel let Keenan listen to some of the stuff he had written, and Keenan was impressed. They agreed to work together in the future, and had the chance when Tool experienced some legal problems with their label and were forced into temporary hiatus. Keenan and the rest of the band were feeling a bit burned by then, and were ready for a break. It was at this time that Howardel approached Keenan with his band he called A Perfect Circle. Howardel had already recruited Paz Lenchantin on bass guitar, and after Keenan joined, they got Troy Van Leeuwen on rhythm guitar and Josh Freese on drums. The band rehearsed together for a few months before they announced themselves by playing a benefit concert at L.A.’s popular Viper Room. Their debut album release, entitled Mer de Noms, was a smash hit, with the popular singles “Judith” and “Three Libras”. There are also many bootleg copies of live performances floating around on Napster.